


Stalling

by Ukthxbye



Series: drabbles and prompts [10]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Baker Street, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, One Shot, POV Molly Hooper, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper Friendship, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Fluff, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Kissing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 12:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16743892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ukthxbye/pseuds/Ukthxbye
Summary: Molly notices that Sherlock keeps making more excuses for her to stay longer at 221b





	Stalling

“What is the amount of water in a eyeball?”

 

She stared at the door, her finger lightly on the knob paused. She turned her head quickly toward his voice. Leaning out of the kitchen, with an expectant curious look in his eyes behind goggles.

 

“About twenty-two milimetres,” she frowned at him “I thought you--

 

“Thank you!”

 

His head ducking back in the kitchen and gone, tinkering noises in the kitchen.

 

She felt a pull to ask him if he needed anything else, odd as she usually knew that his “Thank you!” was the dismissal she never challenged. Her fingers turned the knob quietly and she slipped out, shutting it behind her as she shook her head in mild confusion.

 

-:-

 

They sat in 221b engrossed in their own tasks. Papers rubbing against carpet as he combed through folders laid out before him on the rug. Molly at his desk, soft clicks on the keypad as her eyes scanned his laptop screen.

 

“There!”

 

She didn’t even jump, this was the third time today he lept up shouting.

 

“Perhaps…”

 

She breathed in and out a sigh from her nose, pushing a stray hair behind her ear as she shifted in her chair waiting for his revelation. _Maybe this time?_

 

“No, perhaps not.”

 

He paced once, twice as his dark blue dressing gown flowed behind him. He flopped in his chair, leg splayed out and he sighed dramatically.

 

She turned back to the laptop, leaning on one elbow. _That’s what I thought,_ she mused.But something caught her eye.

 

“Sherlock…” she said his name softly, not wanting to startle him. _Besides he is usually so far in his mind it takes a couple tries,_ she thought.

 

“Yes?” he responded immediately to her surprise.

 

“How much did the victim weigh?” she asked through a furrowed brow.

 

Effortlessly he slipped to floor, and laid his hand on a piece of paper.

 

“120 kilograms,” he read off.

 

“Did they look at his liver?” she looked around the screen down at him.

 

More paper shuffle.

 

“Yes, noted fatty liver but was not tested further since he had no recorded history of any alcohol use, much less abuse,” he said.

 

“They need to test it, I think there is a chance he had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis...though not sure how the killer would know that or exploit--” she started to explain but her words ceased as he flew to her side, staring at the screen as he laid his hand gently on her shoulder.

 

She stared at his face, now so close to hers as he leaned down reading the article she found. So close, watching his adam’s apple as he swallowed. His jawline tightened and her mouth fell open as her thoughts strayed to…his hand there.

 

Click and the door opened, and his hand dropped.

 

“Hey, sorry I was late,” John Watson apologized as he hung up his coat.

 

“No matter. We’ll get you up to speed,” Sherlock replied, stepping away from Molly.

 

She breathed out finally, realizing her breath shallowed in his nearness and she swallowed hard as she stood.

 

Sherlock turned his eyes back to her in time see her gathering her bag from the sofa.

 

“What are you doing?” he questioned.

 

She smiled faintly. “John is here now. You don’t need my help...at least here. Maybe at Barts we can look at the body. ”

 

John stayed silent, eyeing between the two with a bemused look.

 

“Don’t be absurd,” he insisted as he moved back toward her, pausing to capture her gaze. She stifled a gulp and looked away back at her bag.

 

“John can Google just as well as I can,” she giggled nervously, but it caught in her throat as his fingers wrapped around her forearm.

 

“Sit,” he said in a low voice as he pulled her back to the seat at the desk. _Did his fingers linger on her arm?_ she pondered.

He released her and went back to his papers, rubbing his temples.

 

“You found the clue. You will see the thought through because of your capabilities. You were discussing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which I am sure John can catch up on,” he said with a wave of a hand and his eyes scanned his papers again.

 

She stared at Sherlock for a moment, but resigned herself and smiled faintly at John.

 

John shrugged assuredly at her and walked to join her at the laptop.

 

-:-

 

Yawning twice. Less than two minutes apart. She stared at her phone, watching the minutes tick by as he read off a case file to her. She sunk back into the sofa.

He halted his words at her second yawn.

 

“Sherlock, it’s late. I think I should go home.”

 

“But we have only began to explore the essential elements of a case...”

 

“Yes but unlike you I am not superhuman and I need sleep”

 

“I am not superhuman, Molly,” confusion tinged in his voice.

 

She sighed, capturing his eyes, “I just meant I need more sleep than you.”

 

“The sofa is comfortable I can work while you nap,” he motioned his free hand, while closing the folder in his other.

 

“Sherlock…” She tried to hide the irritation but he had endlessly delayed her every day she came by this week with increasingly weak excuses and she was tired. Bone tired.

 

“Molly, I need your expertise on this,” he held her gaze. “but there are elements I can work on without you.”

 

She stared at him her mouth shut tight. _Whatever ever it is I need to know,_ she thought.

 

“Yes, I need you...here...to help me eventually. Just lay down, sleep and I’ll wake you shortly,” he paused in his words, looking down and smiled, flipping pages on the folder.

 

“OK! that’s it!” Her face turned steel stiff and her lips curled baring teeth.

 

His face snapped up in shock.

 

“I’m sorry what--”

“Bloody hell, Sherlock Holmes, you tell me why I can’t leave now and I mean really tell me!” She stood, hands balling into fists.

 

His face went blank and despite his jaw going slack, words did not leave his lips.

 

“Sherlock…”

 

She stepped closer as his jaw dropped his mouth open. But no words escaped from his mouth.

 

Her brow furrowed as she got closer still, looking up at him, and her hands went to her hips.

 

“I am done; this is madness and I need to know and there is no way you need me to Google for you, something you are perfectly capable of.”

 

And closer still she stepped.

 

She stared up at him, arms folded.

 

“Oh my God Sherlock why--” she exasperated.

 

His movement a blur as he closed the gap, throwing the folder to the desk. Her turn to go slack jawed.

 

His voice, all dark and velvet softness as he leaned down to her ear, “I have no more excuses, my Molly.”

And with those words said, his lips were on her cheek, but they lingered and brushed down her jaw line to her chin. A breath, and his lips sought hers, hesitantly caressing.

 

She spoke against her better judgement.

 

“This is a convoluted way to get me to kiss you...which I haven't decided if I will do yet.” She gulped as he pulled back just enough that their lips were not together.

 

“You insisted on answers from me. I have no defense, what is yours? Perhaps I can borrow from it.” His lips curled devilishly and she felt her knees wobble from more than weariness as she fixated on his mouth.

 

Her thoughts jumble as he leaned back a bit more, enough to catch her eyes with his.

 

“It’s much too late for you. But I still have a choice in this.” Her voice cracked but she finished the expression, searching for his reaction.

 

“You always will but...”  he started but the words faded.

 

The air hung heavy between them, eyes steady. Too much time passed now, and perhaps in the years as well, and she saw the sadness of regret creep into his face. She simply could not stand that and her heart ached. _No going back then..._

 

Her hands reached out and found his, pulling him back to her to wrap his arms easily around her waist.

 

And she stood tip toe, grazing her lips up his neck and jawline till she met her lips with his. She kissed him now, caressing those lips she wanted for years ever so lightly. He hesitated but her smile was all the excuse he needed to deepen it.

 

Once they came up for a breath, he asked once more in velvet tones next to her ear,  “Perhaps we should both go to bed.”

 

She grinned, “Now you’re finally making some sense. Next time,  just ask.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Anon request on tumblr
> 
> Sherlolly prompt: Molly notices that lately, Sherlock seems to keep finding reasons for her to stay longer whenever she visits Baker Street. She just can't figure out why, though...


End file.
